KAPAA — Ken Posney decided to go on a road trip Friday morning to stretch his legs and rustle up some adventure.
He made it to Ono Family Restaurant from his Koloa home and was settling into breakfast when adventure nearly crashed into him — in the form of a high-speed chase that ended in front of the restaurant.
“We just heard the car coming east from west at a really high rate of speed and they sideswiped the utility pole,” Posney said. “The outer casing shattered and the transformers fell on the ground. Liquid poured out. Sparks were flying.”
Four people in the car were arrested after trying to evade police. No injuries were reported.
In a press release, Kauai Police Department said police were dispatched to Kuhio Highway in the vicinity of Inia Street in Kapaa when a bystander reported seeing a possible stolen vehicle.
Police approached the vehicle, a tan 2007 Toyota Corolla, and instructed the driver to pull over. The vehicle then fled north at a high speed on Kuhio Highway, lost control and collided with the pole.
Kuhio Highway was closed from about 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in both directions between Pono Kai Resort and Kauwila Street due to a police investigation. Northbound traffic was diverted onto Inia Street, and southbound traffic was diverted onto Kauwila Street then onto Ulu Street.
According to Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, about 10 people were affected with a power outage and repairs were done by 2 p.m.
“The lucky thing is that there was no one in the road,” Posney said. “Just about 10 minutes before it happened, I watched an elderly couple cross the street. But the car didn’t hit oncoming traffic and didn’t hit the restaurant.”
The driver of the vehicle, Adrian Arrisgado, 19, of Kapaa, was arrested for unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle. Additional charges may be pending.
The three occupants of the vehicle were also taken into police custody for unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, and have been released pending further investigation.
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Jessica Else, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
